Arsenal today confirmed the signing of Willian, with the Brazilian following what has been a fairly well trodden path from Stamford Bridge to The Emirates in recent years.
The winger had been in negotiations with Chelsea over a new deal for a number of months, but the two parties were unable to come to an agreement due to Willian's demand for a three-year deal. Arsenal were happy to offer that long-term commitment.
It will cost them a pretty penny too. While this may be a 'free transfer', the finances involved mean make it quite an expensive venture.
According to Mail Sport, Willian will earn a handsome salary of £220,000 per-week at Arsenal, amount to a total of £35million over his three year deal.
That is a hefty salary, placing him amongst the highest ten earners in the Premier League. He will also earn more than every single player at champions Liverpool. Liverpool's top earners take in around £200,000 each week.
This is a questionable commitment to a 32-year old at the best of times, but it looks even worse when you consider Arsenal's recent actions. Last week the club announced that they were set to lay-off 55 members of staff, a move which is thought will save them around £2million per-year.
Arsenal took a huge amount of criticism for the decision, something that is only likely to intensify after the details of the Willian deal have come to light.
